Undying Kind
by rjs0123
Summary: Written for the Event Integrity Fic Exchange. So, obviously, RoryLogan. rnThis was big. Gigantic. Enormous. Mindblowing, but not necessarily in a good way.


**The Undying Kind  
****By rjs0123  
****Rating: PG-13 (or is that 'T'?) for slight very slight mature language…**

**Criteria  
****Include:  
**Angry Logan  
plenty of Finn  
angst with resolution  
beach outing  
one of the main characters extremely sunburned  
**Don't Include:  
**Dean  
Marty  
excessive wallowing  
Lorelai/Emily confrontations  
Lorelai's relationships  
**Cliché:** Rory and Logan truly have an arranged marriage.

_AN: Okay, let's see. Background information: Not so distant future fic (okay, a year or two in the future, but none of that half-dozen years stuff!) You guys can all read the criteria, and basically figure out what it's about. Oh and by the way, I own nothing. Not the movies I reference, the character's I use, nothing. N-o-t-h-i-n-g! Anyway, I'm really sorry that this got so long, but I was just having too much fun to cut it down!_

"Turn left at Greenland!" The command came out of nowhere.

Rory raised her eyebrow quizzically. "Does he know where he's going?" Her question was directed to Logan.

Logan just shrugged. "I certainly hope so. He's been playing backseat driver for forty five minutes now."

"Come on Logan! Let's turn around now before he gets us even more lost." Rory was definitely in agreement with Colin because she started nodding her head vigorously.

Logan seemed to waver. "Finn!" he questioned.

"No! We're almost there." Finn was jumping up and down in his seat, not seeming to care that he was wearing a seat belt.

"Sure, we're almost somewhere, but the question is where!" Colin commented exasperatedly.

Rory picked up the questioning and rounded on Finn. "That's right! Where are we going?"

Finn was silent for a moment and looked down sadly. "It's a surprise."

Rory shook her head, whacking Colin in the face with her ponytail. "Huh-uh. I don't think so. I think we've humored you enough today – what with piling into this car and letting you get us completely lost for no apparent reason! Now I do believe you owe us an explanation."

"I just wanted to go for a drive with my three bestest friends," whined Finn, looking for all the world like a puppy with a tail between its legs.

Logan gasped and caught Finn's eye in the mirror. "Do you mean to tell me that we've been driving around aimlessly for two hours?" his voice was menacing.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Finn shrugged, once again his unapologetic self.

"What desperate times?" Logan's voice still held a definite edge.

"We never see you anymore!" Finn had worked himself up into a frenzy and was yelling now.

"What?" sputtered Logan.

Colin nodded in agreement with Finn. "He's got a point, you know." Logan turned his eyes and held Colin's gaze in the rear-view mirror. "You're always with Gilmore. We never see you anymore." There was a pause before Colin shifted his gaze to Rory. "No offense."

Rory smirked. "None taken."

Logan rolled his eyes at all three of them. "You people are delusional!"

"Hey!" all three said in unison.

Logan chuckled and executed a quick U-turn.

"Hey!" This time it was just Finn.

Logan shook his head. "We're going home."

Finn pouted. He quickly brightened and asked energetically, "Can we at least stop for ice cream?"

"Oooh, I want a Dilly Bar!" Rory volunteered.

"I could go for a cookie dough Blizzard myself," hedged Colin.

Logan spotted a Dairy Queen about a mile up the road. "You all are impossible."

"Thank you!" The three looked at each other and laughed.

Later that evening, the group of four stumbled drunkenly into the dorm.

"That," Rory began, "was fu-un." She giggled at herself before collapsing ungracefully onto the couch. Not a moment later Colin tried to sit down on the couch. "Hey!" cried Rory. "Drunken girl laying on couch here!"

Colin ignored her and sat on her legs. She shrieked and pushed him off the couch. "Eww! Colin!" There was no answer as Colin had already passed out. She rolled her eyes. "He really can't hold his liquor, can he?"

Her question jolted Logan out of the stupor the document in his hands had put him in. "Sorry, Ace. What was that?"

She waved his question off. "N'vermind. 's that?" she asked, not having missed the fact that the paper in Logan's hands was causing him great distress.

Logan looked anew at the paper, his hand reflexively tightening on it, creasing it slightly. "Nothing," he bit off unconvincingly. "Look," he began, "I think you need to go, now."

Rory pouted. "But we only just got back," she whined. Immediately, she frowned at herself, and her incredibly bimbo-esque behavior. "Never mind. I'll see you later."

Logan waved at her distractedly, for he was already fishing through his pockets looking desperately for his cell phone. As she turned the doorknob, she could hear Logan's voice greeting his father.

"Mitchum! I can't believe you." Rory shook her head as she closed the door. She couldn't get over the fact that Logan called his father by his first name. It seemed disrespectful, but he had assured her that was what his father wanted when to be called they were in private. Apparently being called Father made him feel old. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts of Logan, Rory literally tripped over Finn who hadn't made it into the suite before passing out.

"Hey, Love! Where're ya going?" Finn smiled up at her and didn't seem the least bit put out about being stepped on.

Rory made a face. "My place. Apparently, I've been kicked out," Rory tried to joke, but it ended up coming out very bitterly.

Finn's face took on a horrified look. "Who would do such a thing?"

"My boyfriend," Rory's answer was curt.

"Ahh." Finn's face cleared momentarily, before resuming a confused grimace. "Wait, are we talking about the same boy? Logan?"

"My only boyfriend I know of," Rory acknowledged, chuckling slightly despite her anger.

"Okay, just making sure, hun," said Finn as he pulled himself up, being careful to support his weight against the wall. Rory sighed heavily, and Finn staggered to her side cautiously. "I know, babe," he sympathized. "Boys. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em."

Rory looked up at him as they started walking, leaning heavily on one another. "Finn, you do realize you're a boy?"

"Last time I checked, although I wouldn't be adverse to you doing some checking of your own," he leered playfully.

Rory smacked his shoulder lightly, sending them both reeling down the hallway. When they got their feet back under them, Rory said good-humoredly, "If it's all the same with you, I'd rather not."

"Ah, well, that's too bad," said Finn, drunkenly patting her shoulder. "You don't know what you're missing."

Rory thought back to Logan's numerous horror stories in which Finn starred as the main character (and not necessarily a protagonist at that). "Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea."

By the time they reached Rory's dorm room, Logan's peculiar and distasteful behavior had all but been forgotten. Rory fumbled with her key, but eventually managed to get the door open. She turned to Finn, who had finally managed to stay upright all by himself, and asked, "Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"What, and ruin all this fine alcohol with coffee?" Finn objected as he gently pushed his way past Rory to fall elegantly onto her couch.

"Alright then," said Rory, smirking slightly, "why don't you come in and have a seat? You know, rejuvenate yourself before attempting the trip home?"

From his position on the couch, eyes quickly drooping, Finn said drowsily, "Well, if you insist, Love."

Rory cracked a small smile, but it faded quickly as she saw the envelope sitting innocently on the table. _Rory_, it said, in the neat, precise, flowing hand of her grandmother. She sighed. It hadn't been going well with Emily ever since she had blown up at Friday night dinner, oh so long ago. Sometimes she just couldn't believe her grandmother's nerve. Reluctantly, she opened the envelope. Better to get it over with now, she reasoned, than be unexpectedly surprised with whatever had been important enough for her grandmother to leave a note.

As she opened it, and read the first couple of lines, she gasped and rubbed her eyes quickly, sure they couldn't be functioning correctly. She read it again and her legs gave way, and the floor came rushing up to meet her, sobering her up quickly. The loud thump she made as she hit the floor brought Finn stumbling in.

"What's the matter love?" he asked, concerned when he saw her. The look on her face was quizzical as she debated whether laughing or crying would be more appropriate in this situation. In response to Finn's question, she held out the paper in her hand. Puzzled, he started reading. It didn't take more than three seconds before he got the gist of the letter. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he asked excitedly, "Oooh, can I be best man?"

Rory, whose face had finally settled into an expression of disbelief and horror, just glared at him. "An arranged marriage?" she ranted. "Who do they think they are?" Her tone grew more and more enraged each second, before words failed her for a second time.

Finally, Finn noticed that her hand held another packet of paper. "What's that?"

"Oh, just a copy of the pre-nup, and the relevant pieces of the business merger that our wedding is to finalize," Rory explained, in a casual, off-hand voice, although one could tell from the way her face contorted around the word 'wedding' how she really felt.

Finn could tell she needed a comforting shoulder, just about now, and wrapped his arms around her tenderly. "There, there." Rory snorted at the old-fashioned words. "It's all gonna be okay."

If anything, his words only increased her agitation. "Okay? Okay? No, it's not going to be okay! Did you not read the letter? They're blackmailing me into this! They're using the fact that they pay my way through Yale against me, all but openly threatening to take the financial backing away if I don't go through with this obscene travesty!"

Finn sensed that Rory didn't really want to talk about it and instead of pushing the matter, he pulled her into another hug. Rory could feel Finn's good intentions and she just let herself cry. Finn muttered soothing, comforting nonsense words until he felt Rory fall limp in his arms. He picked her up gently, and made his way (remarkably sure-footedly considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed) into Rory's room.

As he set her down on her bed, he contemplated whether or not he should change her clothes (after all, he was a guy!). In the end, he opted to just pull the quilt over her. As he reached the door, she stirred. "Finn, don't leave!"

Finn turned around and regarded her with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just…" she paused. "I'd rather not be alone right now."

Finn stood, undecided, for a moment. He nodded his head once, and laid down on the floor.

Rory giggled slightly. "Don't you want a pillow or something?"

Finn shrugged. "That might be nice," was all he said, but some sarcasm crept into his voice. Rory's only response was to throw a pillow at him. Finn just pulled the pillow under his head, rolled over and went to sleep.

Rory couldn't believe herself. She had just asked her boyfriend's best friend to stay the night. What was wrong with her? Okay, granted, it may have had something to do with the fact that she had just found out that her grandparents had arranged a marriage for her, or with the fact that Logan had all but kicked her out of his dorm. And of course, it was in a strictly platonic sense, but what it boiled down to was that she had asked her boyfriend's best friend to stay the night.

Rory shook her head, suddenly amused at herself. Here she was, worried about asking Finn to stay as if she didn't have bigger fish to fry. And she definitely did. Have bigger fish to fry, that is. A marriage? Her mind hadn't been had enough time to wrap itself around this yet. This was big. Gigantic. Enormous. Mind-blowing, but not necessarily in a good way. And with that thought, she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, both woke up to the incessant ringing of Rory's dorm phone. "Let it go, the answering machine will get it."

Finn looked up at Rory with an innocently blank look on his face. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Rory shook her head, thoroughly amused by Finn's classic line. "Give it up, already Finn. You know perfectly well who I am."

Finn sighed deeply. "You caught me. I am completely aware that you are Marissa."

Rory just rolled her eyes. "Funny boy."

"Why thank you!" Finn basked, obviously wanting someone to fawn over him.

Just then, the phone rang again.

"Persistent, aren't they?" commented Rory idly, not making a move to answer the phone.

"Well, you are quite popular," retorted Finn.

Both waited out the requisite four rings before the answering machine picked it up. This time, there came a voice on the other end. "Gilmore, pick up the phone!" Logan's irritated voice rang out in the small room.

"Ooh, downgraded to Gilmore, don't think I want to pick this up," Rory said in a bored tone, as if this phone call wasn't important to her.

As if he had heard her objection, Logan continued, more soothingly this time, "Ace, come on."

Rory pursed her lips in mock-thought. "Hmmm, still no."

"Ace, I just want to know if you have any idea where Finn is. He didn't make it inside last night."

Rory shared a look with Finn. "Obviously you are more popular than I am," Rory observed uninterestedly.

Logan paused. "Okay, so you obviously aren't home or don't want to talk to me. But if you see Finn, could you tell him to get his," Logan coughed, "butt over here as soon as possible?" With this final addition to the message, Logan hung up without any pleasantries.

Rory scanned the room and, as her eyes came over Finn, pretended that she was seeing him for the first time. "Oh, hi Finn. Logan told me that if I see you I should tell you to get your ass to the suite a.s.a.p."

Finn laughed at her dead accurate assessment of what Logan had wanted to say in the message. "My dear, you have Logan down to a tee!"

Rory made a face. "I guess that's what I get for spending all my free time with him."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what? The fact that I'm being blackmailed into an arranged marriage or the fact that my boyfriend is being a complete butt-faced -" Rory stopped, unable to come up with the correct word.

"Miscreant?" offered Finn helpfully.

"No, jackass."

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Finn felt compelled to put in a good word for Logan.

"Not really."

"Yeah, me neither." But just _one_ good word. Another pause. "So, do you want to talk about either of those options?"

Rory sighed deeply. "I just don't know why he won't talk to me about this."

"So, you assume he knows." Finn was characteristically helpful in pointing out the obvious.

"Yes I assume he knows. What else could have possibly made him act the way he did last night?"

"A court order requesting a paternity test?" Finn offered seriously.

Rory glared at him pointedly. "Not helping!"

"Sorry. But think about it from Logan's point of view. And by Logan's point of view I mean that of a slightly illogical newspaper heir."

Rory chuckled slightly at his oversimplification of Logan.

"So he doesn't want to talk to me because we're being forced to marry each other?"

"Honey, you're still thinking like a girl!"

"That's what I am, half-wit!" Rory giggled.

"Ever After?" asked Finn curiously before shaking his head. "You know what? It really doesn't matter. The point is, you're not thinking like Logan. He's a boy."

"Gee, Finn, you really know how to state the obvious!"

Finn shrugged. "What can I say? It's a gift." He paused and his face turned serious before continuing. "To Logan the fact that you have nothing to do with this…arrangement…really doesn't matter. It's just the fact that, as far as he can tell, his freedom is being taken away really bothers him. Even though he loves you, he's not quite ready for the feeling of commitment. I know, I know," Finn hurried on, intent on placating Rory, "the two of you are committed, but to him it doesn't have the same feel. Your current relationship is voluntary. This isn't. This proves that he really is under Mitchum's thumb, just a puppet that Mitchum controls with a crook of his finger."

Rory let Finn wind down. She sighed heavily. "It's not like I'm all that enthused about marrying him either."

Finn's head snapped toward her violently. "Doll, I hate to break it to you, but it's not the thought of marrying _you_ that has him all tied in knots!"

Rory blinked. "What?"

Finn turned red. "Let's just say that when you get the diamond, don't ask how long he's had it!"

Rory paled.

"Hey, just forget I said anything, okay?" Finn laughed cautiously. "Well, I better get back to the suite so that Logan doesn't go all crazy on me."

Rory nodded, but her eyes were looking through him.

"Don't worry, girl, it'll all be alright!" Finn bent down and kissed Rory tenderly on the forehead. She waved at his retreating back absently and collapsed on her bed, lost in thought.

The next few weeks were just one big blur to Rory. Looking back, she could vaguely recall her mother's reaction and the promises of dismemberment that came along with it. She dimly remembered the town meeting in which her engagement to Logan was discussed in detail, and the town decision to dig out the ribbons again, this time using pink to signify that they were supportive of the engagement and blue to show their distaste. Most of the town was blue. She hazily remembered the deluge of social engagements that she and Logan were dragged to, and within no time at all it seemed as though everyone on the planet knew that one Lorelai Leigh Gilmore and one Logan Luther Huntzberger were engaged to be married.

The only thing that she remembered vividly was the fact that throughout all of it, Logan maintained his distance. He put on a good act for the high society function, of course, but not once during those weeks did he really talk to her. Never once did he confide in her, and never once was he his usually charming self. He retreated, sheltering himself emotionally and isolating her.

One day, Rory had enough. They were being paraded around Logan's country club and Logan hadn't said a word to her all day. She was beginning to think that the high society members were completely deaf, dumb and blind because for the life of them, they couldn't see the lack of affection between the 'happy couple.' Over lunch, as Mitchum and Logan were vigorously debating some aspect of the business, Rory snapped. She pushed her chair out, got to her feet, and just began walking. It didn't matter that she didn't know where she was, that she didn't have her car, or that she was 'making a scene' as her grandmother would call it, she just had to get away. She ignored Mitchum's cries behind her, nearly smirking to herself indulgently at the fact that Logan didn't seem to care, and walked until she found a main road. She looked left and right, and decided that since nothing in her life seemed right now that she would have to go left.

She walked lost in deep thought, contemplating the irony that their impending marriage was what had driven them apart. All she wanted was for Logan to talk to her and not treat her like the enemy. She fumed over the fact that Logan could put aside his feelings and talk almost civilly with his father – one of the real 'villains' of this situation – but he couldn't talk to his girlfriend. Rory couldn't bring herself to think fiancée because that word evoked feelings of love, trust and happiness – things that seemed to be missing in her relationship right now.

She walked only a couple of miles down the road before she became aware of her surroundings. Suddenly, she knew she was lost and her feet were killing her. She longed for her one pair of Converse high tops that she had bought the week before as a pity party gift to herself. But alas, she had been forced to wear a pair of high heeled sandals for their spring rendezvous at the country club. She flung herself to the ground, sad, angry, frustrated and more than a little annoyed at the situation and set her purse to the side. Abruptly, she remembered that she had, thankfully, put her cell phone in her purse (going against Mitchum's orders – apparently cell phones were not the height of fashion this season, and were quite rude if they rang in the middle of a conversation).

Without even looking, she fished out her cell phone. Flipping it open, and dialing the number by touch alone, she pressed the phone to her ear.

After a few rings, someone picked up. "Hello, you've reached the owner of the Dragonfly Inn -"

"Mom!" Rory cried out in relief.

"I'm either screening my calls and don't want to talk to you or am working tirelessly to provide for my daughter. Leave a message!"

Rory slumped down, defeated. "Can anything else possibly go wrong?" she yelled up into the sky from her prone position on the ground.

As the sky darkened and started to rain gently, Rory reminded herself that that was the one question that should never be asked. It was a recurring theme in movies – the fact that Murphy's law always popped up to prove itself at the most inopportune moments. She had watched enough movies to know that, and still she tempted fate by asking that question. She started to cry, her tears intermingling with the rain on her face. Pretty soon, that ran out, and she started to laugh; great, hearty belly laughs for no reason at all.

That too ran its course, and Rory was left staring blankly at the darkening sky.

As the rain soaked its way through her light dress, cold enveloped her. She knew she couldn't stay outside like this for too long – that would prove most disastrous! With a sigh, she picked up her phone again. She flipped through her address book, looking for someone that she was willing to talk to and she was reasonably sure would come pick her up. Just as a bolt of lightening flashed through the sky, she reached Finn's number. Before she could come up with a plausible excuse not to, she hit the call button.

After five rings, Rory was beginning to doubt that her call would ever be answered. Just as she was about to hang up, Finn's groggy voice came on the line. "'Lo?"

"Hey Finn!" Her voice wavered and betrayed the cheery tone she had tried to take.

"Rory? Bloody hell it's early!"

She would have laughed if her situation wasn't quite so dire. "Yeah, it's me." Now that she had managed to get through, her courage had dried up. She couldn't manage to get the words out – didn't want to sound so desperate and pathetic.

"What's up?" When Rory didn't respond, a brief flash of inspiration hit him. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be at the country club with Logan?"

Rory shrugged, even though she knew that Finn couldn't see her. "I was," she said simply.

Finn read between the lines. "But you're not anymore." He took her silence as confirmation. "Rory? Where are you?"

Rory looked around, as if the desolate area would suddenly yield an identifying landmark. Seeing none, she told Finn the truth. "Dunno."

"Rory?" Finn was starting to panic. "Please don't tell me you left the country club in this awful weather!"

"It wasn't this bad when I left!" Rory defended herself.

Finn groaned. "Rory!"

The disappointment in Finn's voice was just too much to bear and Rory started to cry again. "I just…" she sobbed, "couldn't take…it anymore…I had…to get out…of there."

"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll talk about it later. Just…where are you?"

"I don't know. I…um…took a left at the first main road that I came to." It sounded feeble even to her ears. "I'm probably not that far. Just a couple of miles."

Finn was already on his feet and out the door. "I'm on my way."

"Thanks Finn."

When Finn found her, a scant twenty minutes later, she was sitting on the side of the road, crouched and shivering. He pulled over and rolled down the window. "Rory! Get in. You're going to freeze to death."

Rory gave him a small, tentative smile. "What a coincidence seeing you here!" she shivered.

"Don't give me that, Ror! Here, take this blanket," he scolded her as he turned up the heat in the car. As he felt the heat blast the cabin of the SUV, he started to calm down. "Now, remind me again why you were out in the rain, freezing your ass off!"

"Just wanted to, I guess." Finn was relieved to hear her joke, but the shivering in her voice worried him. He fixed her with a knowing glance. "Okay, okay, I guess you deserve the whole story." She leaned the chair back and wrapped herself more tightly in the blanket before continuing. "I just got tired of being paraded around like some piece of ass. Logan won't talk to me anymore – I haven't even gotten so much as a 'how have you been' since this whole thing started. I know you all but admitted that he had already had the ring, but I find it hard to believe. He treats me like I'm the bad guy in all of this so much that I can't help but wonder if I am the problem." Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"Rory-" Finn began, wanting to comfort her, but cut off as they reached the parking lot. He parked the car, and started again. "Rory, I can't say that I completely understand why Logan is acting the way he is, but believe me when I tell you that it's not your fault!"

"How can it not be?" Rory sobbed.

"Because he loves you."

"Funny way of showing it," Rory pouted.

Finn chuckled. "Come on. Let's get you inside and into some dry clothes."

Rory nodded. The two disembarked from the SUV and ran as fast as they could to the shelter of Branford. They poured into Rory's suite, slightly out of breath, but feeling refreshed and invigorated.

A couple of hours later, and one Quentin Tarantino movie marathon later, Finn walked slowly to his suite. The longer he thought about how Logan was treating Rory, the angrier he got. By the time he reached the suite, his feelings were at a boil and he was ready to explode. Without even knocking, he barged into Logan's room.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" was his opening line to Logan.

Logan looked up from his perch at his desk. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, My, God. Rory runs out of your lunch, without a ride and you aren't even the least bit worried about her?" Logan's eyes widened when Finn said Rory's name.

"You heard from Rory? Is she alright?"

"Oh sure, now you choose to play the concerned boyfriend. Where were you when she needed you?"

"Busy."

"Yes, I heard, debating with Mitchum."

Logan nodded his head in agreement. "A vigorous debate."

"Now that we've got that cleared up, where have you been when she needed you?"

Logan raised one eyebrow. "Now you're starting to sound like a broken record, Finn. I thought that we had already gone over this!"

"No, I meant where have you been the past few weeks when she needed you? Or did you not realize that this is as stressful on her as it is on you? Maybe more so, since she basically lost her boyfriend in the process." Finn was on a roll now. "She's sitting in her bed, wondering what she did wrong, and here you are doing…doing god knows what!"

"Homework," Logan offered helpfully.

Finn took a deep breath and seemed to visibly deflate. "You're going to lose her, you know?" Logan looked down at his desk, shamefaced. "I know that's not what you want. You already had the ring, for goodness sakes."

Logan looked up. His face had gone very pale. "You went snooping around in my room?"

Finn shook his head. "No. You showed it to us when you were in the middle of the big fight with her a couple of months ago. We found you drowning your sorrows, and you tossed the little box to us and asked us if we thought she would like it."

"I did?" Logan asked, trying to remember the night.

Finn only nodded.

Logan sighed. "Yeah. I've had it for a while now. Dad just beat me to it. I wanted to ask her when I felt the time was right. Now she'll never believe that I actually want to marry her."

"Not if you continue acting like a jackass." Finn had softened, but couldn't resist this parting blow.

"I know, I know. I just don't know how to make this up to her."

"Well, you better think quickly, before she puts an end to it."

As Finn walked out the door, Logan flung himself onto the bed.

Rory was trying to get her mind off of Logan by reading her Western Civ textbook when the phone rang. Idly, she wondered if she really wanted to get it. It was probably her grandparents 'requesting' her presence at yet another event.

With a concentrated effort, she picked up the phone. "Hello. Rory Gilmore speaking," she answered, deciding to at least try to get on her Grandmother's good side.

"You know what I think you need?" came the chipper question on the other end of the line.

"Finn?"

"Sorry, doll, but I think your boyfriend would object to you using me. No, actually I think you are in dire need of a trip to the beach."

"The beach?"

"Yeah. Think about it. Warm sand, plenty of sun, ocean, plenty of girls in skimpy bathing suits-"

"You were doing a good job convincing me until that last one," interrupted Rory, now thoroughly amused.

"What?" Finn jerked out of his reverie. "Oh sorry Ror, my imagination got carried away for a moment."

"So when do you suggest I go?"

"Oh, I'd say this weekend would be a good time," commented Finn nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah? This weekend, huh? Which is conveniently the date of the next Life and Death Brigade event?"

"Is it? I hadn't realized."

"Yes. As I recall, that is the weekend that you are planning, in fact. Now Finn, you couldn't possibly be spilling the beans to me early regarding the itinerary of the next event, could you? Because you know just as well as I do that that's against the rules."

"No, no spillage of beans here. But, if, hypothetically, I were breaking the rules, I don't think the LDB would care that much."

"Oh, and why not?" bantered Rory back at him.

"Our entire mission in life is to live life spontaneously and if that means bending or breaking a few rules in the process, well so be it."

"Of course. Dear me, how could I have forgotten?" Rory put on a false southern belle voice.

"Yes, yes, quite remiss of you. So, whaddya say?"

"Well…" Rory elongated the word, enjoying keeping Finn hanging. "Throw in a new bikini and perhaps I will comply."

"Only if I get to pick it out," countered Finn, not actually expecting to have any say in the suit he bought her.

"You drive a hard bargain, kind sir. But since I can see no real disadvantage, I agree."

"Really?" The astonishment in Finn's voice made Rory laugh. "What I mean to say is I'm glad to hear that. Well then, until later, gentle lady."

"Bye Finn," Rory sighed wistfully as Finn hung up. There was no denying that of the three stooges, Finn had the easiest time getting her to laugh. He always managed to make her feel better with his unique charm. And yet, she still wished that it had been Logan on the phone. He would be able to do more than bring a smile to her face – he would be able to put a genuine sparkle back in her eyes and in her heart.

After her disastrous lunch at the country club, Rory refused to go out for the social gatherings. Nevertheless, she managed to keep herself busy for the rest of the week before the beach outing. In spite of herself, she was quite enjoying the thought of getting out and getting away from the problems in her life, if only temporarily. The only dampening on her spirits occurred when she thought about Logan coming to the event. She finally decided that he could ignore her but she would have fun regardless. She had Finn, Colin, Stephanie and a good number of other Brigadiers to entertain her – having Logan acknowledge her existence would merely be a fringe benefit.

On Friday afternoon, she returned to her dorm to find Colin taping a note to the door. She tapped him on the shoulder, but he didn't say anything, only tipped his idiosyncratic top hat in her direction as he excused himself smoothly.

Rory shook her head. She would never understand Colin or his motivations. Of the three best friends, he was the quietest, the level-headed one, the thoughtful, logical one on the outside. And yet, Rory knew there had to be more to him to keep him so loyal to his friends who were the exact opposite – loud, boisterous, and spontaneous. The dynamic between the three of them seemed so fragile, and yet at the same time, so very certain.

As a young freshman bumped into her in a hurry to get to his next class, Rory was brought back to reality. She turned to pull down the note Colin had left on her door.

'Rory,' it read in Finn's large, confident scrawl.

'Be ready to go at seven tomorrow. Our plane leaves at ten.'

The letter was short and unsigned; nonetheless, it had her confused.

As she unlocked the door and settled herself in for the night, she pulled out her phone and dialed Finn's number.

"Our plane?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

"So Colin did deliver my little note?" he asked, unnecessarily. "I did wonder whether he would make a good messenger."

"You didn't answer my question," growled Rory, frustrated with Finn's inability to answer a simple question.

"Yes, we have a plane. You didn't expect us to drive to the Pacific, did you?"

Rory's jaw dropped open. "You never said anything about the Pacific!" she accused.

"I never said anything about the Atlantic either," retorted Finn.

"You know what? Never mind. Knowing you I should be grateful it's not the Indian."

Finn laughed. "Good suggestion. Unfortunately, I've got us all booked. Kinda late to change plans now."

"That's probably for the best." Rory sighed at Finn's ability to think big as she hung up the phone.

Rory woke up early Saturday morning to pack for the trip. Promptly at seven, a knock came at the door. She answered it quickly to avoid angering Paris.

"Hey, I'm all ready to -" she broke off as she saw Logan outside her door. "Hi."

Logan looked up at her with an uncharacteristically sheepish look on his face. "Hi Ace."

"So, um, what do you say we get this show on the road?" Rory tried to sound upbeat, but failed miserably. His presence at her door had been unexpected to say the least. She picked up her bag, and started for the door.

"Here, let me get that for you," offered Logan, reaching for her bag.

"No!" Rory yelped, clinging to her bag as if it were a life raft. "I mean, I'm fine."

"Alright." Logan sighed. He hadn't meant for things to be like this. "Let's go." He reached out, and took her hand, dragging her out the door.

The entire trip to California was another giant blur to Rory. She was still stuck in the moment when Logan had taken her hand. What had that meant? To say she was confused would have been the understatement of the century.

Logan had seen the turmoil his actions had caused Rory, and wisely kept his distance on the plane ride. On the ride to the hotel, however, he felt compelled to try and break the ice. He spoke quietly in Colin's ear, and a few seconds later found himself seated next to Rory. "So Ace, how've you been?"

At the simple question, he saw her eyes flare and watched as she mentally decided that this wasn't the time or the place to get into how she had actually been. "Fine. I've been fine," she said curtly, obviously uncomfortable talking to him in the car.

"Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional?" Logan questioned, quoting what had become his favorite movie to watch when Rory demanded a movie night. He watched as the line hit home with Rory, and as she thought back to the way it had been, back when they were having movie nights.

"Pretty much." She allowed a slight smile to grace her face.

He smiled back at her, grateful to see her look almost normal, and let the conversation end there.

Later that day, as Rory settled into her hotel room, she heard a tentative knock on the door. "Who is it?" she called.

"It's me." Logan's voice drifted under the door.

Rory took a deep breath and opened the door.

"I come bearing gifts," said Logan, holding up a small, gift-wrapped box. Rory looked up at him with confusion written in her eyes. "Actually, I come bearing Finn's gift. He said something about owing you for coming."

Understanding lit up Rory's eyes, and she took the box out of Logan's outstretched hands. "Thanks." They stood awkwardly at the door until Rory motioned inward. "Do you want to sit down?" The stiff formalness was uncomfortable for both of them.

As Logan sat down on the chair, words came pouring out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, Ace. I've treated you like dirt for no reason at all, and I feel so incredibly horrible." His voice wavered slightly at the end.

Rory wasn't ready to pass forgiveness just yet. "I'm in this situation too you know." Logan inclined his head in acknowledgment. "You shouldn't have shut me out."

"I'm sorry," Logan apologized, dismally.

"But why, Logan? Why?" Rory wanted very much to get this squared away. She knew he was trying, but she really needed an explanation.

"Because." He couldn't seem to find the words, but Rory waited patiently, knowing they would come eventually. "Because. I was mad. My father ruined everything!" He broke off.

"You give your father too much credit, Logan," Rory smiled grimly. "I'd say you did most of the ruining."

"That's not what I meant," yelled Logan, frustrated at not being able to verbalize his feelings without giving too much away.

"What did you mean, Logan?" pressed Rory, knowing that this was somehow very important, but failing to grasp why.

Logan sighed. She wasn't going to let him get away with a half-assed excuse. He needed to lay all of his cards on the table right now to have any chance in hell to win her back. "My father beat me to the punch, Ace. I was just getting ready to propose – to do it in my own time, in my own way – and he beat me to it. He arranged it, took all the control away. I was going to take you out for dinner at Luke's, take you to a drive in showing of When Harry Met Sally, and then propose when we were out laying under the stars. I was going to do it, and it was going to be perfect, but then he ruined everything."

Logan took a deep breath, unable to look Rory in the eyes. "Coming back to the suite that night, drunk, was not the way I wanted to find out that I was getting married. Not the way I wanted you to find out. I wanted you to have a choice. I wanted to fear rejection, but do it anyway for the possible payoff of a lifetime. I didn't get to experience that. Maybe I never will. And now you'll always doubt whether or not what I feel for you is real."

He grabbed a hold of her wrists and pulled her to him. "But it is. This is real. I finally found love, true love, soul-mate love, go to the ends of the Earth for you love, the undying kind. I found it, and I want to keep it, but in my own way, at my own pace." He finally looked up at her, unsure what to expect. As he did so, he realized that, in his own way, he had put himself out there, facing rejection, waiting to see whether or not the payoff would come.

As his eyes met hers, his breath was sucked out of his body. The depth of emotion in her watery eyes was inescapable. She opened her mouth once, twice, three times, before closing it. How was she supposed to react to this? This boy, no, this man, had a more than good enough explanation where she had thought none would suffice. This man had just poured his heart out to her, after nearly a month of silence. She was overwhelmed. Words failed her.

Her eyes searched his, and found a hint of fear. Surprised, she realized he was waiting for her answer. And despite all of the heartache that he had made her suffer through in the past month, her answer was clear. Mind set free, head in the clouds, heart brimming with love, she gently put her lips to his in answer. It was not really a kiss, just an adoring brush of the lips, but to Logan, it spoke volumes. They broke apart and she rested her forehead against his. They sat grinning at each other, unable to find any words.

No one saw them for the rest of the day.

The next morning dawned clear and sunny both literally and metaphorically. She sat up and beamed, slipping out of the bed to go get a cup of coffee. After her third cup of coffee, she rushed back into the room. Jumping on the bed, she screeched. "Logan! Wake up. I want to go to the beach."

Logan woke up a bit disoriented. His eyes focused on Rory, and he smiled involuntarily. He allowed her to tug him out of bed and push him out of the room, hearing her tell him to pick her up in fifteen minutes. She shut the door in his face, but he didn't move. A minute later, he knocked on the door. Curiously, she opened it.

"You didn't think I would leave without a good morning kiss, did you?" he asked smirking as he pulled her close to his body. The gentle kiss turned more passionate and as he heard her moan, he pulled away. "See you in fifteen minutes Ace."

Twenty minutes later, they disembarked the elevator and passed the hotel's bar. A small movement caught Rory's eye and she turned around.

"Finn!" she exclaimed, quite concerned. "What happened to you?"

Logan whirled around and caught sight of his friend. Finn looked horrible. His entire face was red with sunburn and judging by the caution with which he moved the rest of him was probably just as bad.

"I spent a bit too much time in the sun," Finn admitted.

"We've only been here twelve hours and you managed to get yourself sunburned?" Rory asked, her voice somewhere between horrified and awed.

"Yeah, well, I forgot sunscreen," Finn shrugged and winced. Rory and Logan laughed as they strolled out of the hotel.

Hours later, and a few miles down the beach, Logan turned to look at Rory. She was so beautiful, he thought appreciatively. The bright pink bikini, so unlike her, fit her perfectly. He had a sinking feeling that Finn had something to do with that. He admired the way her hair had a slight red-ish tint when the sun hit it. He could sit and watch her for hours. This had to be Nirvana. "Marry me?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?" retorted Rory drolly.

"No I mean it. Forget about my parents, your grandparents, the business, the pre-nup. They don't matter. We're the only ones that decide our fate. Rory Gilmore, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Rory smiled and watched as Logan bent down and rummaged through the bag he had brought along until he found what he was looking for. Rory's eyes widened as he brought out a small ring box. He flipped it open and slipped the thin silver band with a diamond solitaire onto her finger.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Logan. It's beautiful."

"So, you want to get married?"

"Now?" she asked, incredulous. Logan nodded his head. She thought quickly. "Well, I've always wanted a short engagement," she said, laughing.

Logan smiled and twirled her around. He set her down carefully and pulled back, looking serious. "You do realize this is crazy, right?"

"Better to be crazy with you than alone by myself," Rory smiled sincerely.

"Charmer!" teased Logan gently. Rory just rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's go get married."

A few scant hours later, the makeshift wedding party stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. With the Life and Death Brigade in attendance, Rory walked down the aisle unescorted but glowing undeterred in a simple white flowing gown. At the end of the aisle, Logan stepped forward to offer her a tuxedo-clad arm. They smiled brightly at each other as they faced Finn who was acting as a very sunburned justice of the peace. They recited the traditional wedding vows, much to everyone's surprise. When they reached the end of the simple ceremony, Finn declared them husband and wife.

"And now, you bloody well better kiss the bride!" Amidst a chorus of appreciative laughs, Logan obliged.

As the happy couple walked back down the aisle, the maid of honor, the best man and the justice of the peace leaned together conspiratorially.

"Who would've thought that he'd be the first one married?" asked Finn innocently.

"As I recall, I did," replied Colin, sticking his hand out. Finn sighed, hoping Colin had forgotten about that particular bet, and handed him a wad of large denomination bills.

"And I bet she never expected to jump to the head of the line, _and_ make the line obsolete!" commented Stephanie wistfully. The two boys looked at her as if she had grown another head. "What?"

**Epilogue**

It was later that week when the newlywed couple arrived back at the dorm, still elated from the rush of getting married. Logan carried her over the threshold while Rory giggled.

"You know?" she commented, "I never knew complying with my grandparents could be so fulfilling!"

"Ah, but you forget that it's only fulfilling because we did it in our own way," he replied, setting her down gently.

"What you mean is that we found a distinctly satisfying way to rebel…"

"That too!"

They moved around the suite for a while getting situated before Logan made his way to the answering machine. The light was blinking, and reluctantly, he pressed the button, afraid of what he might hear.

"Logan, son!" came Mitchum's booming voice, "I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that we managed to push the merger through without the wedding and you will no longer have to marry Rory to ensure our financial success. Of course, that was our plan all along, and I'm sorry to have played you like that, but we really did need it to be realistic. I hope you had fun in California," he added parenthetically before hanging up.

The look of disbelief on Logan's face matched that on Rory's face. Both fumbled for words before Rory finally voiced the feeling. "I absolutely cannot believe the nerve of them!" Her face reddened.

Logan started laughing. He laughed so hard, he was soon rolling around on the floor. Reluctantly Rory joined in. The last niggling of guilt had finally left them with Mitchum's message, and they felt supremely confident in their decision. They had made it of their own free will, and were going to stick with it. Nothing had ever felt more right.

Minutes later, both had calmed down somewhat and were struggling to regain their breath. Rory was the first one to regain the power of speech.

"Ooh, they are going to be so shocked when they hear about this!" Her eyes widened, as the realization of the situation finally hit her. "Logan," she cried, "won't they be mad?"

Logan just smiled, reaching out over the space between them to pull her to him. He spoke quickly before crushing his lips to hers. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!"


End file.
